Calculating Temperature Increase From Hand Rubbing Work

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SUMMARY

The discussion focuses on calculating the temperature increase from hand rubbing work, specifically using a scenario where a woman rubs her hands 10 times over a distance of 7.50 cm with an average frictional force of 45.0 N. The work done is calculated using the formula work = force * distance, resulting in a total work of 3,375 J. To find the temperature increase, the specific heat capacity of human tissue is used, which is approximately 3470 J/(kg⋅°C), leading to the conclusion that under the assumption of 100% efficiency, the work done translates directly into thermal energy.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of basic physics concepts such as work and energy.
  • Familiarity with the formula for calculating work (work = force * distance).
  • Knowledge of specific heat capacity and its application in thermal energy calculations.
  • Basic understanding of the properties of human tissue and its thermal characteristics.
NEXT STEPS
  • Research the specific heat capacity of various biological tissues beyond human skin.
  • Learn about energy conversion efficiency in physical processes.
  • Explore the relationship between mechanical work and thermal energy in thermodynamics.
  • Investigate practical applications of thermal energy calculations in everyday scenarios.
USEFUL FOR

Students in physics or engineering, educators teaching thermodynamics, and anyone interested in the practical applications of energy conversion in biological systems.

narutoish
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Homework Statement



Rubbing your hands together warms them by converting work into thermal energy. If a woman rubs her hands back and forth for a total of 10 rubs a distance of 7.50 cm each and with a frictional force averaging 45.0 N, what is the temperature increase? The mass of tissue warmed is only 0.100 kg, mostly in the palms and fingers.

Homework Equations



work = force * distance

The Attempt at a Solution



i can find the work, but after that I don't know how to connect that to temperature change.
 
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Some of the work is converted to heat, I would go with Q = cmΔT , but I have no idea what c is for human skin, tissue, cells or whatever. If you assume the process is 100% efficient, all the work done goes toward heating the skin, then all you would need is the c , the amount of energy it takes to heat up 1 kg of mass by 1 K
It is said lots of it in our body is water, the c for water is 4.2 kJ/ kgK, the surface of the skin is sweat so water again, but I'm not a beauty salon worker :/, can't help you any further at the moment.
 
Last edited:
Hi Naruto,
Specific heat capacity of human body on average is 3470 J/(kg⋅°C).So I think you should use that.
 
so does all the work convert to heat?
 
Never does. There is no further data on the assignment, therefore I can assume the process is 100% efficient.
 
Thanks guys I got it.
 

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